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The influenza (popularly known as Flu) season is around the corner. The flu vaccine is your best shot at preventing influenza. Trust me, there are many important reasons to get vaccinated. We recommend that you talk to your doctor to make sure you are up to date on the vaccines that are right for you.

Did you know that adults need vaccines too? If you didn’t, you’re not alone. Many adults in the U.S. are not aware of the vaccines recommended for them – and that means they are not taking advantage of the best protection available against a number of serious diseases.

There are many reasons to get vaccinated; here are just 10 of those reasons.

1) You may be at risk for serious diseases that could be prevented by vaccines. Many of these diseases (like influenza, pertussis, and shingles) are common in the U.S., and many can be spread easily.

2) You may be at increased risk for complications from certain diseases if you have a chronic health condition or weakened immune system. Adults with chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, or lung disease and those with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop complications from certain vaccine-preventable diseases. These complications can include long-term illness, hospitalization, and even death.

3) You can reduce the chance that you’ll pass on a serious disease to your loved ones. Most vaccine-preventable disease can be contagious, like influenza, meningitis, and whooping cough. Receiving your recommended vaccines can reduce the risk that you get sick and spread disease on to others.

4) You can help protect those who can’t get vaccinated. Some people may not be able to get certain vaccines based on age, health conditions, or other factors even though they are vulnerable to illness. Vaccines can help prevent the spread of contagious diseases to them. For example, newborns who are too young to get vaccinated for whooping cough are also most at risk of severe illness from the disease. By getting vaccinated when you’re pregnant, you can pass on protection to your baby.

5) You don’t have time to get sick. You have too much responsibility to risk getting sick, including people counting on you at work and at home. Vaccines can help you stay healthy so you don’t waste time being sick.

6) You don’t want to miss what’s important to you. Spending time with family and friends or taking time out for your hobbies may not be possible if you get sick. Vaccines can help you stay healthy and enjoy the things you like to do.

7) You don’t want to pay the price of getting sick. Adults who get a vaccine-preventable disease face the financial costs of medical visits and treatment, in addition to other costs like taking time off work, hiring babysitters, and traveling to and from doctors’ offices.

8) You like to travel – or have to travel for work. Travel can present exciting opportunities, but it can also put you at risk for certain diseases. Make sure you only bring back great memories, not illness! If you are going to travel internationally, you might need additional vaccines. See the vaccinations and travel checklist.

9) You want the peace of mind that comes with protecting your health. People sometimes wait to get vaccines until they hear of outbreaks of disease like pertussis or influenza in their community. The time to be vaccinated is before disease arrives. It’s important to stay up to date on your immunizations because no one can predict when disease will appear.

10) You don’t want to feel crummy if you can prevent it! No one wants to feel sick. There are more than a dozen diseases that you can protect against simply by getting vaccinated! Adult vaccines are available at doctor’s offices, health departments, pharmacies, and even workplaces.

Courtesy: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Choosing the right school and teaching program that meets one’s needs for education and preparation for career can both be equally onerous. But not any more. Three free guides from our publishing partners can assist you in making the right choices. Check them out.

The guides inform prospective students on what to expect from a teaching program and what to consider when choosing the right school. The guides also explore financing options and review job outlook & career opportunities that come with a degree in education.

These guides are great for current professionals who want to advance professionally as well as for aspiring teachers and education professionals. With one out of the 81% of online students working while pursuing their collegiate goals, these guides can be helpful in crunch times when the cost of making decisions are truly high.

Washington, DC — About 61 percent of people with Nigerian ancestry age 25 and older had a bachelor’s degree or higher — more than twice the U.S. rate of 28.5 percent, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau report on Characteristics of Selected Sub-Saharan African and Caribbean Ancestry Groups in the United States: 2008-2012.

This new report from the 2008-2012 American Community Survey covers the population who reported Sub-Saharan African ancestry — Ethiopian and Nigerian — and Caribbean (West Indian) ancestry — Haitian, Jamaican, and Trinidadian and Tobagonian. These ancestry groups were selected due to their relatively small populations and being under researched compared to their counterparts. About 2.5 million people in the United States identified as one of these ancestry groups, or around 0.8 percent of the total U.S. population. This represents an increase of about 2.1 million, or around 469 percent, since the 1980 Census.

“Acquiring a college or other advanced degree was a major factor for many people of Nigerian ancestry coming to the United States, so it is not surprising that twice as many had a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to all people and the other selected ancestry groups,” said Dr. Stella Ogunwole, a demographer in the Population Division.

The report also found the rate of labor force participation was 71 percent or higher for all of the selected groups compared to the U.S. rate of 64.7 percent. Thirty-six percent of the civilian employed population age 16 and older in the United States worked in management, business, science and arts occupations, but the Nigerians — the most educated group — had the largest share in this type of occupation at 52 percent.

“Each of these ancestries carved a different immigration path to the United States: many sought technical training, advanced education, political asylum and better opportunities with the thriving labor market,” added Ogunwole.

Ethiopians were the fastest growing among these ancestry groups — growing from 1980 to 2008-2012 by around 2,400 percent, and Haitians had the largest numeric change over the same period, with an increase of about 777,000 (862 percent).

“The New York and Miami metro areas in particular had large concentrations of people of Jamaican or Haitian ancestry,” said Darryl Cohen, a geographer in the Population Division.

These findings came from the 2008-2012 American Community Survey. The report also used decennial censuses back to 1980 to compare changes in population for given ancestry groups, since ancestry was first measured in the 1980 Census. The findings from the report include the geographic distribution of the population in these ancestry groups, as well as various demographic and socio-economic characteristics, such as age and sex, household type, nativity, educational attainment, labor force participation, occupation, earnings, poverty and homeownership.

Other highlights from the report:

Age

The two Sub-Saharan African ancestry groups (Nigerian and Ethiopian) and those of Haitian ancestry each had a median age of about 30 years, younger than the other two Caribbean groups (Jamaican at 34.5 years, and Trinidadian and Tobagonian at 35.8 years).

Labor Force
Nationally about two-thirds (65 percent) of the population age 16 and older was in the labor force. People who reported Nigerian or Ethiopian ancestries had the highest participation rates (76 percent each) among all the selected ancestry groups.

At least 71 percent of people age 16 and older with Haitian, Jamaican, and Trinidadian and Tobagonian ancestries participated in the labor force.

Geography
The geographic distributions of these ancestry groups vary considerably, with those of Haitian, Jamaican, and Trinidadian and Tobagonian ancestries most concentrated in Florida and New York. The Ethiopian and Nigerian ancestry groups are more widely dispersed across the United States.

Language diversity
Even though English is the official language of Nigeria, less than half of the population reporting Nigerian ancestry spoke only English at home (43 percent).

Eighty percent of the U.S. population age 5 and older spoke only English at home. Among the selected ancestry groups, those with Trinidadian and Tobagonian (95.5 percent) and Jamaican (92.7 percent) ancestries were most likely to speak only English at home.

Foreign-Born Status
In 2012, 13 percent of people residing in the United States were foreign-born. By comparison, almost three-quarters of the population reporting Ethiopian ancestry (72 percent) were foreign-born, the highest among the selected ancestry groups.

Approximately six out of every 10 people among the other ancestry groups (Trinidadian and Tobagonian, Nigerian, Jamaican and Haitian ancestries) were foreign-born.

Homeownership
Those with Jamaican ancestry had the highest rate of homeownership among the five groups, at 53.7 percent; the national rate was 65.5 percent.

The American Community Survey is a nationwide survey designed to provide communities with reliable and timely demographic, social, economic and housing data for congressional districts, counties, places and other localities every year.

We are pleased to announce our call for experts and companies to join our list of pre-qualified independent contractors and consultants. Vetted contractors and consultants will provide services that support our organization in the successful and efficient implementation of its community-based projects. Consultancy services will be on an ad hoc and as needed basis.

Independent Contractor/Consultant
An independent contractor/consultant is an individual or organization providing primarily professional services, technical advice, or outreach services under an agreement with the organization. Such a relationship is distinct from an employment relationship.

Eligibility
Independent contractors/consultants do not have employment relationships with the organization, therefore, GHEP Directors, volunteers, fellows, and interns can serve as independent contractors/consultants if they ordinarily possess the qualification to discharge the duties and responsibilities of the vacant consulting position. In keeping with the voluntary mission of our organization, our existing independent contractors and consultants work a combination of compensated and uncompensated hours.

GHEP, Inc. is committed to supporting Minority, Woman, and Local Business Participation Program in Prince George’s County and State of Maryland. Therefore, preference will be given to PG and MD-based companies and individuals. GHEP shall reserve the right to use or not use consultants from this proposed list.

How to Apply
Interested individuals and organization interested in this opportunity should send a letter of interest for consideration to:
The Executive Director, GHEP, Inc., P. O. Box 234, Riverdale, MD 20738 or via email to info@globalhealthprojects.org. Upon receipt of letter of interest, we will reach out to individuals and organizations for the requisite registration documents, resumes, and diplomas.

Applications and letters of intent will be accepted on a rolling basis.